At the Foot of the Cross

At the Foot of the Cross

At the foot of the cross, at the supreme hour of the new creation, Christ led us to Mary…He did not want us to journey without a Mother
[Evangelii Gaudium, 285]

Dear Sisters,
we meet again around Mary, our Mother, on the day we celebrate her sorrows. On Calvary, the mystery of her universal motherhood is realized: Jesus entrusts to her every human being. At that moment love and pain became one, fruitful for all humanity. The gift of the charism we have received makes us attentive, helps us to grasp aspects of this mystery of love, opens our hearts and minds to the contemplation of Jesus Crucified and of the Mother at the foot of the cross.

It is a familiar icon that we contemplate and meditate on in a special way today, on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, in which we renew our awareness of being Daughters of “this great Mother”.

On Calvary, Mary begins her journey with the whole of humanity, a pilgrimage with her children of all times. She walks with all people and with each one of us.

Magdalene has a special understanding of Mary’s motherhood, of which she grasps the smallest nuances, passes them on to us an offers them to us as a model. She invites us to love her and imitate her.

What is our response to this invitation?

Every day we have any opportunities of learning how to be like her, “mothers” and multipliers of good. Through our life and service, we can bear witness to a love that welcomes, understands, promotes, humanizes and makes us grow. Magdalene wants us to generate life, even in our littleness.

Let us remain open to always learn the way of the Lord with the same attitude of Mary. She helps us to listen to the voice of Jesus and, so, to grow in faith.

In this year of preparation for the General Chapter we are calle in a special way to thank Mary for being our travel companion. Let us ask her to intercede with her Son for the journey we are about to take and to continue to be fruitful in the Church with our lives and our service.

Let us live this time often invoking the Holy Spirit. Each one of us, consecrating her life, has so much to offer to the Church and to the world with her willingness, desire to give herself in simplicity, fidelity and with the joyful witness that makes all bearers of hope.

The preparation for the Chapter has begun some time ago. Reflecting on the summary of the questionnaires, presented by Region, it is evident that we share the same desire for holiness, for evangelizing our lives, for making Jesus known and for seeking new responses with a heart that wants to love God and our brothers and sisters.

It is good to see this common commitment that creates a spiritual and concrete synergy among us.

Let us thank Mary for the many signs of her maternal presence and protection in our Institute.

I thank you for your prayers that always accompany us and I renew again, together with my Councilors, my wishes of a happy feats!